J & J Sobota

Jan and Jarmila Sobota are two amazing bookbinders from the Czech Republic. They used to live in the United States for many years and after 1989 when Communism collapsed they returned home to Czech Republic. Their story of flight from Communism is the stuff of movies and books.

Now they live and work in a quaint little town called Loket, a true medieval village. Their home is the kind of home I dream of having one day.

Jan & Jarmila are not only truly gifted master bookbinders, but also incredibly warm and open people. I met Jan & Jarmila when I took a workshop in their studio in 2006. They are so warm, friendly, open and inviting it’s impossible not to fall in love with them.

I still think of them fondly and hope that I can return to take another workshop with them. I highly recommend taking a workshop with them, they are amazing teachers with vast knowledge about bookbinding and great stories. If I had the financial resources, I would be taking a course with them every year.